Till The Night Falls

~5~

Get ready for some fluff >v<

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"Haha! Wow! Only Sonic the Hedgehog could win a dance battle that epic!" Tails giggled, laying down on the bartop next to Sonic. Nox lay on one of his ice platforms, his head dangling down between his friends. Friends. What a beautiful word that is. Nox thought, smiling softly to himself. "Well, stick with me pal, Earth can be a scary place, but I know everything about this ole' pale blue dot." Sonic boasted. Tails sat up, his head tilted and a hopeful but sad look in his eyes. "Do you really mean that?" He asked, keeping his eyes trained on Sonic. "I mean, not everything, but I watch a lot of Discovery Channel and-" Tails shook his head, interrupting gently. "I meant about me being your pal." Sonic blinked, then his expression softened and he sat up, looking at Tails with something that Nox could only describe as love. "Of course, buddy." Tails' entire face lit up, and Nox couldn't help but grin at seeing his surrogate little brother so happy, then 'awwww' when Tails hugged Sonic. "Woah, coming in hot!" Sonic half-heartedly teased, causing Tails to giggle and look down shyly. "Growing up, I didn't have any friends. Everyone in my village thought my two tails were weird." Sonic smiled and nodded, chiming in. "Hey, I know that feeling." Nox nodded. "Same." "But then I saw you! The fastest creature in the galaxy!" Tails continued. "You were weird too, but you were a legend. That made me think, maybe being weird isn't so bad. You inspired me, to leave my village, to find you and help you in your mission."

Nox smiled, reaching down and ruffling the little fox's fur, causing him to giggle. "You little rascal. You could've told me you wanted to leave, and we'd've been gone." Tails shrugged sheepishly, rubbing his neck. "I didn't want to bother you. You were trying to make a life there, I didn't want to just randomly uproot you." Nox rolled his eyes, flipping down to sit on the other side of Tails. "Tails, I only stayed in that sorry little village because of you. I would've been okay with leaving." Nox then shrugged, reaching over and punching Sonic's shoulder as he continued. "But hey, if we'd left sooner, we might not've received this doofus's energy blast. It all worked out." Sonic chuckled, nodding. "I'm really glad you guys are here." Tails beamed. "I'm glad to be here too Sonic." Nox held up a finger. "Agreed." Tails smiled for a second, then hopped down from the bartop and wandered over to the fireplace. Sonic and Nox followed, with Sonic detouring to a chair and pulling off a blanket while Nox went straight to Tails and knelt beside him, stroking the little fox's ears. "Well, might as well get some sleep. This feels like a good place to spend the night. You'll be able to get clear readings on your gizmo thing once the storm is over, so I'd-" "Shh." Nox interrupted Sonic, holding a finger to his lips. Sonic looked past Nox to the sound-asleep fox, and smiled fondly, then walked over and covered him with a blanket.

He offered it to Nox as well, but the cat shook his head. "I'm good. My fur is all the warmth I need." Nox whispered, gesturing for the hedgehog to lie down. Sonic nodded, curling up beside Tails. "'Night Tails," Sonic whispered, and Tails seemed to subconsciously hear him, because his twin tails escaped the blanket and laid to rest over Sonic, covering him protectively like a blanket. Nox smiled fondly, then turned his attention to the fire and lost himself in his thoughts. 

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A small white cat smiled proudly up at his dark-blue-furred mother, his cheeks daubed with vibrant purple paint matching his gem. Today was the day. The ceremony where he finally earned his place in his tribe. His mother, Ilta, smiled at her little son, reaching down and brushing some dirt off his cheek. "Remember my night flower," She whispered in his ear, causing Nox to giggle because it tickled. "There is nothing to be afraid of in the dark. The darkness is your friend." Nox grinned and nodded. "I understand Ama!" Ilta smiled down at her precious little treasure. She reached up, touched her bright yellow forehead gem, then her lips, then reached down and touched Nox's vibrant purple forehead gem. Nox giggled again and repeated it, unknowingly causing his mother to tear up. "You've trained for this. You'll be great. I love you, my little night flower," Ilta whispered.